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Anastasius
Here is the book that took the world by storm, and then was lost. In 1817 Thomas Hope began work on a book that was destined to astonish the West by lifting the curtain of ignorance which had encouraged enmity against the East. Hopes hero Anastasius was fearless, curious, cunning, ruthless, brave, and above all, sexy. Born the son of a respected Greek dragoman, he converted to Islam early on, a move which allowed the renamed Selim to take the reader along as he journeyed deep into the vast and dangerous Ottoman Empire.
During the 35 years described in the book (1762 - 1798) the swashbuckling Anastasius/Selim infiltrated the deadly Wahhabis in Arabia, rode to war with the Mamelukes in Egypt and sailed the Mediterranean with the Turks. He was imprisoned, shipwrecked and hunted. He embraced lovers, killed enemies and had his heart broken forever in Trieste. In Anastasius can be found some of the most eloquently written English since Shakespeare.
When completed in 1819, it was a work of such academic interest, raw excitement and descriptive power that the fabled London publisher, John Murray, released it. The first edition was an overnight sensation and the second sold out in twenty-four hours. Foreign editions quickly followed.
This remarkable new edition features all three volumes together for the first time. Plus, in a series of commissioned Appendixes, an international team of academic experts have examined Hopes life, political impact and artistic legacy, the latter being a ground-breaking investigation of the famous portrait of the author depicted as a noble of the Ottoman Empire. In accordance with its academic mission, the royalties of this new edition are being donated to the National Portrait Gallery. To have discovered this book in 1819 would have opened a portal into a forbidden part of the world which the average reader could never have expected to visit. Yet open the book today and Anastasius will once again weave his enchanting tale of travel, love and war, all the while demonstrating the human harmonies still linking East and West.
During the 35 years described in the book (1762 - 1798) the swashbuckling Anastasius/Selim infiltrated the deadly Wahhabis in Arabia, rode to war with the Mamelukes in Egypt and sailed the Mediterranean with the Turks. He was imprisoned, shipwrecked and hunted. He embraced lovers, killed enemies and had his heart broken forever in Trieste. In Anastasius can be found some of the most eloquently written English since Shakespeare.
When completed in 1819, it was a work of such academic interest, raw excitement and descriptive power that the fabled London publisher, John Murray, released it. The first edition was an overnight sensation and the second sold out in twenty-four hours. Foreign editions quickly followed.
This remarkable new edition features all three volumes together for the first time. Plus, in a series of commissioned Appendixes, an international team of academic experts have examined Hopes life, political impact and artistic legacy, the latter being a ground-breaking investigation of the famous portrait of the author depicted as a noble of the Ottoman Empire. In accordance with its academic mission, the royalties of this new edition are being donated to the National Portrait Gallery. To have discovered this book in 1819 would have opened a portal into a forbidden part of the world which the average reader could never have expected to visit. Yet open the book today and Anastasius will once again weave his enchanting tale of travel, love and war, all the while demonstrating the human harmonies still linking East and West.
- GenresFiction
539 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1819
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 17, 2025
What a wonderful book this is. If it weren't for a reference to in Thomas De Quincey's Confessions (a far inferior work in my opinion) I would never have heard of it. Thanks to the 'Long Riders Guild' who published this edition in 2008 there are lots of new or nearly-new copies available. Unfortunately this edition is not very aesthetically appealing, and the printing has the feel of self-publishing, but don't let that put you off - the story is well worth the effort and the accompanying essays by Jerry Nolan, John Rodenbeck and Ludmilla Kostova are excellent.
The book is a Romantic memoir and travelogue of the fictional character Anastasius, whose picturesque adventures in the Ottoman Empire toward the end of the 18th century are based on Hope's own experiences. Littered with historic references it had me diving down many rabbit holes while reading.
Thomas Hope is a very interesting character who was a member of one of the top banking families in Europe. After his travels as a young man, he settled in London where he a notable collector of art and antiquities, furniture and interior designer who helped to define the Regency style. He amassed one of the finest collections of art during the early 19th century, which were displayed at his homes in London and the Surrey countryside. It seems that his descendants wasted all his hard work, the collection was sold off and dispersed and his two grand homes demolished. Some of his work can be seen the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, who hosted an exhibition of his work in 2007. There is a book accompanying the exhibition which is well worth tracking down.
Anyone with an interest in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, Orientalism and the Regency period will enjoy this wonderful book, I cannot recommend it enough.
The book is a Romantic memoir and travelogue of the fictional character Anastasius, whose picturesque adventures in the Ottoman Empire toward the end of the 18th century are based on Hope's own experiences. Littered with historic references it had me diving down many rabbit holes while reading.
Thomas Hope is a very interesting character who was a member of one of the top banking families in Europe. After his travels as a young man, he settled in London where he a notable collector of art and antiquities, furniture and interior designer who helped to define the Regency style. He amassed one of the finest collections of art during the early 19th century, which were displayed at his homes in London and the Surrey countryside. It seems that his descendants wasted all his hard work, the collection was sold off and dispersed and his two grand homes demolished. Some of his work can be seen the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, who hosted an exhibition of his work in 2007. There is a book accompanying the exhibition which is well worth tracking down.
Anyone with an interest in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, Orientalism and the Regency period will enjoy this wonderful book, I cannot recommend it enough.
Did Not Finish
April 13, 2026I'm sure there's some historical interest in this, but I don't like swaggering cynical playboy adventures now and it turns out I hate 18th C ones even more. "Ha ha ha, I got this girl pregnant and abandoned her and she and the child will probably die in poverty, hilarious, what a stud I am."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews